Dr. Ida Kokalari

[email protected]

Lecturer
Department of Biosciences and Engineering
Faculty of Economics, Technology and Innovation

Bio

Education

Publications

Dr. Ida Kokalari is a lecturer at the Western Balkans University in Tirana, Albania, where she teaches courses on nanotechnology and pharmaceutical sciences.

Dr. Kokalari completed her M.Sc. in Pharmacy at the University of Turin, Italy, with a research project on nanocarriers for anti-infective drug delivery carried out at the University of Saarland and Helmholtz Institute for Pharmaceutical Research, Germany. She later earned a Ph.D. in Molecular Medicine from the University of Turin, focusing on the safety and therapeutic applications of carbon-based nanomaterials in the treatment of cancer and infectious diseases.

Before joining WBU, she worked as a postdoctoral researcher at Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands, where she contributed to the development of biomimetic lipid-based nanoparticles and advanced in vitro models to evaluate the biocompatibility and performance of nanomedicines in oncology and pain treatment.

Her research has been conducted in collaboration with leading European academic institutions. Dr. Kokalari is dedicated to promoting interdisciplinary education and research in nanomedicine and nanotoxicology, placing a strong emphasis on innovation, student mentorship, and international collaboration.

03/02/2020 - Ph.D. in Molecular Medicine, University of Turin, Italy

Final grade: cum Laude

11/03/2015 - M.Sc. in Pharmacy, University of Turin, Italy,

Final grade: 110/110

P. Zhu, I. Simon, I. Kokalari, D. S. Kohane, A. Y. Rwei, Miniaturized therapeutic systems for ultrasound-modulated drug delivery to the central and peripheral nervous system. Adv Drug Deliv Rev 2024; 208:115275. doi: 10.1016/j.addr.2024.115275.

Sh. Chen, S. R. Parnell, I. Kokalari, G. N. Smith, B. H. Zeng, T. F. Way, F. Sh. Chuang, A. Y. Rwei, Structure Property Relationship of Micellar Waterborne Poly(Urethane-Urea): Tunable Mechanical Properties and Controlled Release Profiles with Amphiphilic Triblock Copolymers. Langmuir 2023; 39: 10033–10046. doi.org/10.1021/acs.langmuir.3c00921.

F. Bietto, R. Scardaci, M. Brovia, I. Kokalari, F. Barbero, I. Fenoglio, E. Pessione, Food-grade titanium dioxide can affect microbiota physiology, adhesion capability, and interbacterial interactions: A study on L. rhamnosus and E. faecium. Food Chem. Toxicol. 2023; 176: 113760. doi: 10.1016/j.fct.2023.113760.

S. Vercellino, I. Kokalari, M. Liz Cantoral, V. Petseva, L. Cursi, F. Casoli, V. Castagnola, L. Boselli, I. Fenoglio. Biological interactions of ferromagnetic iron oxide-carbon nanohybrids with alveolar epithelial cells. Biomater Sci. 2022;10(13):3514-3526. doi: 10.1039/d2bm00220e.

G. Barzan*, I. Kokalari*, G. Gariglio, E. Ghibaudi, M. Devocelle, M.P. Monopoli, A. Sacco, A. Greco, A. M. Giovannozzi, A. M. Rossi, I. Fenoglio. Molecular Aspects of the Interaction with Gram-Negative and Gram-Positive Bacteria of Hydrothermal Carbon Nanoparticles Associated with Bac8c2,5Leu Antimicrobial Peptide. ACS Omega. 2022;7(19):16402-16413. doi: 10.1021/acsomega.2c00305.

I. Kokalari, S. Keshavan, M. Rahman M, Gazzano E, Barzan G, Mandrile L, Giovannozzi A, Ponti J, Antonello G, Monopoli M, Perrone G, Bergamaschi E, Riganti C, Fadeel B, Fenoglio I. Efficacy, biocompatibility and degradability of carbon nanoparticles for photothermal therapy of lung cancer. Nanomedicine (Lond). 2021;16(9):689-707. doi: 10.2217/nnm-2021-0009.

I. Tacu, I. Kokalari, O. Abollino, C. Albrecht, M. Malandrino, A. M. Ferretti, R.P.F. Schins, I. Fenoglio, Mechanistic Insights into the Role of Iron, Copper, and Carbonaceous Component on the Oxidative Potential of Ultrafine Particulate Matter. Chem Res Toxicol. 2021;34(3):767-779. doi: 10.1021/acs.chemrestox.0c00399.

L. Soddu, D. N. Trinh, E. Dunne, D. Kenny, G. Bernardini, I. Kokalari, A. Marucco, M. P. Monopoli, I. Fenoglio. Identification of physicochemical properties that modulate nanoparticle aggregation in blood. Beilstein J Nanotechnol. 2020;11:550-567. doi: 10.3762/bjnano.11.44.

I. Kokalari, R. Gassino, A. M. Giovannozzi, L. Croin, E. Gazzano, E. Bergamaschi, A.M. Rossi, G. Perrone, C. Riganti, J. Ponti, I. Fenoglio. Pro- and anti-oxidant properties of near-infrared (NIR) light responsive carbon nanoparticles. Free Radic Biol Med. 2019 Apr;134:165-176. doi: 10.1016/j.freeradbiomed.2019.01.013.

R. Gassino, I. Kokalari, A. Vallan, I. Fenoglio, G. Perrone, "A compact diode laser based all-fiber delivery system for PDT+PTT with integrated temperature sensing capabilities", Progress in Biomedical Optics and Imaging - Proceedings of SPIE 10047, 2017, Article number 100470G. DOI: 10.1117/12.2254796.

International Conferences

I. Kokalari, Ž. Močnik, S. Chen, C. Koulas, A. Rwei, Poster “Bioinspired drug delivery system for sensory neuron targeting”, NanoMed Europe 2023, Liverpool, UK.

I. Kokalari, A. Rwei, Poster “Biomimetic, remotely-triggerable drug delivery systems for precision therapy of cancer”, Nanomedicine meets tumor microenvironment conference, NanoTME 2023, University of Twente, The Netherlands.

I. Kokalari, S. Keshavan, M. Rahman, E. Gazzano, G. Barzan, L. Mandrile, A. Giovannozzi, J. Ponti, G. Antonello, M. Monopoli, G. Perrone, E. Bergamaschi, C. Riganti, B. Fadeel, I. Fenoglio, Prezantim me goje “Exploring the biocompatibility, efficacy, and biodegradability of carbohydrate-derived carbon nanoparticles for photo-thermal therapy of lung cancer”, 10th International Conference on Nanotoxicology - NanoTox 2021, 20 – 22/04/2021.

I. Kokalari, R. Gassino, A. M. Giovannozzi, L. Croin, E. Gazzano, E. Bergamaschi, A. M. Rossi, G. Perrone, J. Ponti, C. Riganti, I. Fenoglio, Poster “Safe and efficient multifunctional carbon nanoparticles for cancer treatment”, Nanotechnology in Cancer: Engineering for Oncology, Cambridge, UK, 12 – 14/09/2019.

I. Kokalari, R. Gassino, A. M. Giovannozzi, L. Croin, E. Gazzano, E. Bergamaschi, A. M. Rossi, G. Perrone, J. Ponti, C. Riganti, I. Fenoglio. Prezantim me goje “Glucose-derived Carbon Nanoparticles are Promising Safe and Efficient Agents for the NIR-induced Phototherapy of Tumours”. NanoMed Europe 2019, Braga, Portugal, 17 – 19/06/2019.

I. Kokalari, E. Gazzano, R. Gassino, A. Giovannozzi, L. Croin, A. Rossi, G. Perrone, J. Ponti, M. Monopoli, C. Riganti, I. Fenoglio. Poster presentation “Synthesis, redox activity and biocompatibility of elemental carbon nanoparticles for PDT/PTT therapy”, 9th International Conference on Nanotoxicology, Neuss, Germany. 18 – 21/09/2018.

I. Kokalari, A. Marucco, I. Fenoglio, Prezantim me goje “Synthesis, redox properties and biocompatibility of elemental carbon nanoparticles for near-infrared (NIR) activated-PDT/PTT“. 3rd Italian-Swedish Workshop on NanoBioMaterials, Turin, Italy. 22-23/03/2018.

I. Kokalari, R. Gassino, A. Giovannozzi, A. Rossi, L. Croin, G. Perrone, I. Fenoglio, Oral presentation and poster “Photothermal, photodynamic, redox and optical properties of green synthesized carbon nanoparticles: toward a novel class of switchable nanoplatforms for theragnostic applications”, Clinam Summit 10/ 2017, Basel, Switzerland, 7 – 10/05/2017.

I. Kokalari, R. Gassino, L. Croin, E. Enrico, M. Alfè, G. Perrone, I. Fenoglio, Poster presentation, “Evaluating the photodynamic and antioxidant properties of carbon nanoparticles using EPR- spin trapping technique”. Xth EFEPR conference, Turin, Italy, 4 – 8/09/2016.

I. Kokalari, R. Gassino, L. Croin, E. Enrico, M. Alfè, G. Perrone, I. Fenoglio. Poster presentation “Antioxidant, thermal and photodynamic properties of tailored carbon nanoparticles for medical applications”, 8th Franco-Italian Chemistry Days, JFIC 2016, Avignon, France, 25 – 26/04/2016.

I. Kokalari, S. Lanzillo, G. Perrone, R. Gassino, M. Alfè, I. Fenoglio, Poster “Antioxidant, thermal and photodynamic properties of carbon nanoparticles”. School of Nanomedicine, Bari, Italy, 2 – 4/12/2015.